Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Death of a Valentine
Hamish Macbeth ­ Book XXVII

by M C Beaton

     

Surely Hamish Macbeth, that confirmed bachelor, couldn’t actually be getting married? To a policewoman as well, the popular Josie McSween whose regular visits to far-flung cottages and crofts make her a welcome addition to the local police force. But maybe there is more to all this than meets the eye, such as the letter bomb that set everything in train in the first place...

This is the latest in the series and is a tangled tale of hitmen, bombs and matrimony that seems a world away from the Lochdubh of the early 1980s as portrayed in Death of a Gossip (also reviewed on this site). The story is as much about the wiles of Josie McSween as it is about the murder, which loses some momentum as a consequence. Hamish is at his least appealing here, grimly determined to give his unwelcome new constable as little encouragement as possible. He therefore does not appear as engaging as in the other titles, which is a pity as he is one of the reasons for the books being so entertaining. It will be interesting to see where the next book goes after all this; one of the weaker entries in a strong series.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Death of a Gossip #1
Death of a Cad #2
Death of an Outsider #3
Death of a Macho Man #12
Death of a Dentist #13
Death of a Scriptwriter #14
Death of an Addict #15
A Highland Christmas #15.5
Death of a Dustman #16  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Celebrity #17  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Village #18
Death of a Poison Pen #19
Death of a Bore #20  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Dreamer #21 [audio] [book 1 ] [book 2]
Death of a Maid #22  [review 1] [uk review 2]
Death of a Gentle Lady #23  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Witch #24  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Valentine #25  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Chimney Sweep #26  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of a Kingfisher #27  [review 1] [review 2]
Death of Yesterday #28  [audio] [ book]
Death of a Policeman #29  [audio] [book]
Death of a Liar #30  [audio] [book]
Death of a Nurse #31  [audio] [book]
Death of a Ghost #32 [audio] [book]

Death of an Honest Man #33 [audio] [book]

The Book

Constable (Constable and Robinson)
January 2010
Hardback
184901020X / 9781849010207
Mystery / Highlands, Scotland
More at Amazon.com US || UK
Excerpt
NOTE: Valentines Day read

The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde/font>
Reviewed 2010
NOTE:
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